Balloons
by Elvaralind
Summary: Jack has a surprise for Sam...


DISCLAIMER:I don't own Stargate or any of the characters and I'm not getting paid for this, so please don't sue me.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Another little fic that I wrote while puzzling over the current Amnesia chapter. Please read and review, let me know what you think. Part of the idea was pinched from Neighbours, so I do not own that part, I only own the idea of putting Sam and Jack into a similar situation.  
  
~Elven~  
  
*************  
  
Major Samantha Carter walked through the corridors of the SGC, heading towards her lab. She was tired, almost worn out. It had been a long mission and she had just emerged from an equally long and tiring debriefing. She absentmindedly wondered where Jack was. Since an extended period of time in the Infirmary after a mission gone wrong, and with the prospect of being kept off active duty for a year in order to recover, he'd retired from the team to take on a different role at the SGC. Sam had been given command of SG1, and Lieutenant Grogan had been added to the team.  
  
Jack, still recovering, had taken to training some of the newest SGC recruits, getting them up to the standard expected of those going out into the field. He was also taking a much bigger part in the command of the base, with Hammond giving him more and more responsibility. Everyone knew he was doing this so Jack could take over command of the SGC when Hammond retired, although Jack insisted that he would be back out in the field as soon as Janet declared him fit enough.  
  
Sam and Jack had taken advantage of the change in their situation, and with no regulations holding them back, they pursued a relationship with Hammond's blessing. Since then, they'd been almost inseparable, spending most of their downtime together. On base, if you saw one, you were sure to find the other close by. Every time Sam and SG1 went on a mission, people learnt to keep out of Jack O'Neill's way. He became more cutting and sarcastic, particularly when the team was overdue. He'd also taken to always being in the Gateroom to welcome the team home when they arrived.  
  
Which brought them to the present, with Sam wondering where Jack was. Unlike the usual routine, he hadn't been in the Gateroom to greet them. Neither had he turned up during her post mission examination in the Infirmary, or after they had showered, or even after the briefing. She was beginning to get slightly worried. 'Where is he?' Lost in her thoughts, she moved on autopilot round the corner and into her lab.  
  
She stopped. And blinked. And blinked again just to make sure that what she was seeing was real. "Wha-?"  
  
Multicoloured helium balloons covered the ceiling of her lab, their ribbons dangling down to eye level. She stared at the mass of colour.  
  
A pair of hands covered her eyes, and she gasped slightly in surprise, trying to twist round to look at the owner of them, knowing whom it was. The hands kept her eyes firmly covered, and she heard a soft chuckle.  
  
"Hey there." Jack said softly next to her ear. A smile crossed Sam's face and she relaxed slightly.  
  
"Jack, what are you doing?" She giggled.  
  
Jack smiled in response, keeping his hands over her eyes. "It's a surprise." He brushed his lips over her cheek softly before moving slowly forward, guiding her past the obstructions in her way.  
  
She moved unsteadily, feeling a little unsafe. "Jack?" She questioned, nervously.  
  
"It's okay." He nudged her forward a bit further. She relaxed a bit, allowing him to guide her, trusting him completely. A few steps further and she estimated that she must be in the centre of the room. He swivelled her slightly to face a different direction and stopped. She felt him lean in again to whisper into her ear. "Open your eyes." He removed his hands from her face and she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a bit to get used to the light and then focused on what was in front of her. She gasped.  
  
A beautiful ring hung from a loop in one of the balloon ribbons, in front of her face. It was fairly simple, a band of white gold with a single solitaire diamond in the centre. "Jack?" She asked, her voice quivering slightly with emotion.  
  
Jack produced a small pair of scissors and cut the loop, allowing the ring to fall into her shaking hands. He lifted her chin to look into her eyes.  
  
"Samantha Carter, I love you and I never want to be without you. Will you marry me?"  
  
Tears filled Sam's eyes and she smiled, a genuine, glowing smile full of joy and happiness. "Yes." She whispered softly.  
  
Jack's face split into a matching grin as he gently took the ring and slipped it onto her finger. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Returned the gesture, he buried his nose in her hair.  
  
"I can't live without you, Sam." He whispered. "I don't *want* to live without you."  
  
Sam drew back and cupped his face in her hands, smiling as she looked into his eyes. "And you don't have to." And with that, she leaned forward and kissed him. He responded and after a moment, pulled back to smile at her.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"For making you the happiest man alive?" Sam teased.  
  
"No. Because that would be a cliché." Jack grinned. "And besides, I think that title would go to Jonas. He's *always* happy." Sam laughed and Jack smiled at her before continuing in a more serious, softer tone. "Just for being you."  
  
Fresh tears appeared in Sam's eyes. "Oh, Jack." He smiled at her and she pulled him in to kiss him again. 


End file.
